Oregon State
2-5
Brigham Young
7-1
Oregon State Volleyball Downed at No. 9 BYU, 3-0
September 12, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
PROVO, Utah – The Oregon State volleyball team was downed by the ninth-ranked BYU Cougars, 3-0, on Friday night at Smith Fieldhouse.
The Beavers were unable to establish a rhythm offensively throughout the duration of the game, hitting .000 compared to BYU's .308 mark. With 10 fewer kills (36-26) and 14 more errors (26-12) than the Cougars, the Beavers struggled in set losses of 25-16, 25-12 and 25-16.
“This was our poorest passing performance of the season,” Oregon State head coach Taras Liskevych said. “We never were in system; therefore, our outside hitters always had to hit against two or three blockers and had a miserable night. As a team, we hit 'zero.' It's pretty tough to beat anybody when you hit 'zero.'”
BYU held the edge in the remainder of the match's statistical categories, recording more assists (32-26), digs (37-28), blocks (12-6.5) and service aces (5-2).
Redshirt senior middle blocker Haley Clarke buried five kills on 15 swings to hit .200. Redshirt junior outside hitter Katelyn Driscoll had eight kills, junior outside hitter Lila Toner had six kills and sophomore outside hitter Mary-Kate Marshall recorded five kills.
Splitting setting duties were redshirt junior Dana Backlund, who tallied 12 assists in the first two sets, and redshirt freshman McKenna Hollingsworth, who registered 12 assists in the final set. Each of freshman defensive specialist/libero Kayla Ellis, Driscoll and Toner had five digs.
BYU opened the match on a 6-1 run behind 3-for-3 hitting, a service ace and a pair of OSU errors. The two teams each won 15 of the next 30 points, but with the score set at 21-16, the Cougars won the final four points to take the opening frame, 25-16.
“The key to the match was the first six points of the first set,” Liskevych said. “We didn't cover two balls, missed our first serve and we didn't pass well from the outset. We really struggled passing this whole match.”
The Cougars also started the second set with a 6-1 advantage and won seven of the next 10 points to take a 13-4 lead. BYU took 12 of the next 20 points, and claimed the second set, 25-12, to take a 2-0 match lead.
After the first three points of the third set went to BYU, OSU took its first lead of the set by answering with a 4-0 run. The two teams played to a tie at six apiece when the Cougars went on a 7-2 run to take a 13-8 advantage. Again, BYU took 12 of the next 20, sealing the 3-0 win with a 25-16 victory in the third set.
“We're struggling in several positions and we've got to make sure we shore those up,” Liskevych said. “It's just a little bit of a confidence issue with some players. We've got to work really hard on that.”
The Oregon State volleyball team is set for a rematch against No. 9 BYU on Saturday, with the match slated to begin at 5 p.m. PT (6 p.m. MT) at Smith Fieldhouse.
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeavsVolleyball, by Facebook at Facebook.com/OregonStateVolleyball or on Instagram at Instagram.com/OregonStateVolleyball.
